Drivin 'n' Cryin w/ the Harris Brothers and Rev. Jeff Mosier

Twenty-seven years after their debut Scarred But Smarter, Atlanta’s Drivin’ N’ Cryin’ are back making their idiosyncratic mix of country, hard rock, psych, punk, and power pop. DNC emerged just as college radio was launching Southern acts like REM to stardom. They were swept up in that frenzy even though their broad tastes proved problematic for major label marketing departments. They broke through with 1991’s gold-selling Fly Me Courageous, but their subsequent two albums failed to make much commercial headway and they were dropped. One final indie album in ’97 was followed by a 12-year absence during which frontman Kevn Kinney explored a traditional singer-songwriter solo career. But the urge to rock remained, and in 2009 Drivin’ N’ Cryin’ reunited to release The Great American Bubble Factory. It’s not only a fine return to form sonically, but a poignant look at a decade of foreclosed dreams. Last year Kinney released an album featuring the Golden Palaminos, while DNC — with former Leslie guitarist Sadler Vaden in tow — dropped the first of four consecutive EPs examining different aspects of their sound. The latest EP, Songs from the Psychedelic Time Clock, wanders from spacey acid-folk to chunky garage-psych throb. —Chris Parker FRIDAY